It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 4

 Chapter 4 :

“...Ugh!”

“Hm, looks like you’re finally awake?”

At the sound of a voice by his side, he groaned and opened his eyes.

He glanced around, disoriented.

“Where am I?”

“The northern lumberyard of the Kingdom Union’s Dark Forest… does that ring a bell?” the voice replied.

“The Kingdom Union?”

“Heh heh heh…”

The old man let out a creepy chuckle in response.

The unsettling laughter grated on his ears, and with a grimace, he asked, “Did you… save me, sir?”

“Hm? Me? Well, I suppose you could say that. I’m the one who fed you water and porridge to keep you alive. But those blasted women were the ones who dragged you here. If you’ve got any complaints, take it up with them.”

“Complaints? Why would I have complaints?” he asked, confused.

“Huh? Did you eat something weird out there or what… Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“…Pardon?”

“I asked for your name. You know, your name. Don’t tell me you don’t even know that?” the old man pressed.

“Oh, uh, it’s Rag—”

He almost blurted out “Ragnite” on reflex but quickly caught himself.

Too late, though the first syllable had already slipped out.

“Rag? That’s a weird name…” the old man muttered, tilting his head.

Seeing the old man’s puzzled look, he decided to improvise. “It’s… Ragna. No surname.”

“Ragna, huh? Better than ‘Rag,’ but still odd. Whatever, doesn’t matter. So, where are you from?”

“Pardon?”

“Where are you from? Don’t tell me you don’t even know where you grew up?” the old man asked, his eyes sharp.

Ragna faltered, lips twitching as he struggled to respond. He couldn’t grasp why the old man was bombarding him with questions like this.

“…”

Silence hung in the air. The old man’s expression soured slightly, and Ragna swallowed hard.

Had he been found out?

Was his hesitation making the old man suspect he was a demon or some shady figure?

What should he do?

The old man didn’t look particularly impressive. Ragna could probably handle one person if it came to it. But then what? As he mulled over his options, the old man let out an exasperated sigh.

“Damn it, amnesia? This is gonna be a headache to explain to those women.”

(Amnesia?)

Ragna’s mind sparked. This could be an opportunity.

“Ugh!” he groaned, clutching his head.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” the old man asked, alarmed.

“My head… it just started hurting…” Ragna said, putting on a pained act while sneaking a glance at the old man.

The old man didn’t seem suspicious his expression showed only concern.

“Damn it… This complicates things. If you’ve really got amnesia, this is gonna be awkward,” the old man grumbled. 

“Hey, you!”

“…Yes?”

“If those women come asking what happened, just say this: ‘My village was destroyed by a magical beast invasion. I got separated from my parents and wandered around, begging, until I ended up in the Dark Forest. I don’t know the village’s name it was just a poor slash-and-burn settlement without one.’ Got it?”

“…”

“Understood?”

“…Yes, I understand,” Ragna replied, nodding.

The old man frowned, clearly not entirely satisfied, but nodded back.

Ragna cautiously ventured a question. “Um…”

“What?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask. You mentioned ‘those women’ earlier. Who exactly are they?”

The old man’s face twisted into a scowl. Then, as if realizing something, he clicked his tongue and muttered, “Right, of course. You’re some backwoods kid with amnesia… Damn it, do I have to explain everything? Hey, you!”

“Yes?”

“Ugh, I don’t even know what you know or don’t know, so this is going nowhere. Let’s start with this do you know anything about magical beasts?”

Of course, Ragna knew.

Magical beasts were the artificial creatures he’d created back when he was the Demon King.

To compensate for the demons’ numerical disadvantage against humans, Ragna had engineered these monsters by combining earthly beasts with creatures from the demon realm.

So, for him to claim ignorance about magical beasts would be absurd. But…

“Magical beasts? Never heard of them,” Ragna said, his face perfectly composed.

The old man’s expression darkened, and he spat out a curse. 

“Damn it! Your head’s as empty as it gets. I wouldn’t have taken this job if I’d known you were this clueless. Thought I’d get a break, but now I’m stuck with this mess.”

“…”

The old man continued to hurl insults, but Ragna remained unfazed. He’d anticipated this reaction and had deliberately played ignorant about the beasts. His goal was clear.

“Hey, listen up,” the old man said, leaning in. “Magical beasts are monsters created by some lunatic called the Demon King 500 years ago! Got that? Monsters! Not just wild boars or bears from the hills!”

“...!” Ragna’s eyes widened.

The old man snorted, grumbling about how annoying this was.

But Ragna’s shock stemmed from something else.

He’d feigned ignorance to extract as much information as possible about this world. He had no idea what era he was in, how much time had passed since his death, or how the world had changed.

So he’d acted clueless to draw out the old man’s knowledge.

But the information that came was staggering.

The old man had said it: 500 years had passed since the Demon King’s death.

Half a millennium.

“…”

Ragna stared at the old man, dumbfounded. The old man, oblivious, rummaged around and pulled something out, handing it to Ragna.

“...?”

“Eat. You need to regain your strength if you’re gonna do anything,” the old man said.

Ragna looked at the object a bowl filled with watery porridge. He took it and scooped up a mouthful.

His face twisted instantly.

It was probably oatmeal porridge, but he wasn’t entirely sure because nothing else in his memory tasted quite like this. The foul smell, the fishy taste, the gritty texture it was hardly palatable.

Yet, the old man was eating the same stuff from his own bowl, grimacing but diligently spooning it into his mouth.

“…”

Ragna couldn’t exactly refuse in this situation.

Plus, as the food hit his stomach, it growled loudly, demanding more. With a grimace, he closed his eyes and started shoveling the porridge into his mouth, matching the old man’s pace. The sounds of their eating echoed through the rickety shack.

___________

_

After the meal, the old man’s explanation continued.

He lit a cigarette some dried leaves wrapped in paper using a flint. After exhaling a puff of smoke, he said, “Phew, damn it… Where was I?”

“You were talking about those women And about the magical beasts…” Ragna prompted.

“Right, right. The woman. Damn, how do I explain this… Hey, don’t you remember anything about your parents or the people you lived with? Or maybe wandering through a city or something?”

Ragna shook his head.

The old man’s face twisted in frustration. “This is driving me nuts… Where do I even start?”

He took another drag, then tossed the shortened cigarette to the ground, spitting and grinding it out with his foot.

“Fine, since it’s come to this, I’ll start from the basics. Listen up, kid. If you know this much, you’ll at least survive here.”

“…”

Ragna nodded, and the old man returned the gesture, his expression turning serious.

“This is important, got it? Honestly, I don’t know why I’m bothering to tell you this, but… here’s the deal. Women in this world are stronger than men. So don’t cross them. Understand?”

“…What?”

“Did you hear me? Women are stronger than men. Don’t mess with them, or your head’ll end up like a squashed tomato in no time.”

The old man spat again, his face dead serious.

Ragna stared at him, stunned.

What was he talking about?

Women being stronger than men? That made no sense.

Generally, men were physically stronger than women due to differences in build. That’s why men typically handled labor-intensive tasks like soldiering or construction.

But the old man’s words turned that logic upside down.

“Tch, with no memory, I don’t even know where to begin,” the old man grumbled. “Just stick this in your head: women are stronger than men. Start from there. Got it? This world is ruled by the strong. It’s a dog-eat-dog society.”

“…”

“And since the strong dominate the weak, it’s obvious men have to tiptoe around women. They’re weaker, after all. So women hold all the high positions: leaders of organizations, heads of families, noble representatives, even the throne. Women run everything.”

“B-But why?” Ragna stammered.

“I told you, you idiot! Women are ridiculously strong! If it weren’t for that, things wouldn’t be like this…” the old man muttered, trailing off.

Ragna’s mind raced as he watched the old man grumble.

It didn’t make sense.

What had happened in these 500 years to make women stronger than men?

Was it even possible?

Had the definitions of men and women somehow swapped while he was gone? Or had women undergone some massive physical change?

As if answering his unspoken questions, the old man spoke again.

“Tch, I get why you’re confused. Women look smaller, daintier. Their arms are thin, their waists narrow some look fragile as twigs. It’s easy to underestimate them. I did when I was young.”

“…”

“But that’s a mistake. Sure, some women are weaker than men, but that’s rare. Almost all women undergo the coming-of-age ritual.”

“The coming-of-age ritual?”

“Yeah, that ritual. It gives women strength far beyond men’s. And that ritual is why the world’s turned out like this,” the old man said bitterly.

Ragna’s confusion deepened.

A ritual that gave women superior strength? What was it? And why couldn’t men undergo it?

“Why can only women receive this ritual?” Ragna asked.

“Damn it, isn’t it obvious? Because only women can receive it!”

“…?”

“Don’t ask me for details. It’s a women’s secret. Men don’t get to know, no matter how curious we are.”

“But… couldn’t you stop them from performing the ritual? That way, they wouldn’t gain that strength.”

“Heh, you’re naive. Or maybe it’s the amnesia,” the old man chuckled. “I thought the same when I was young block the ritual, keep them from getting that power. But as I got older, I realized it’s impossible. If there’s a way to gain that kind of strength, what woman would give it up? Put yourself in their shoes. Would you give up that kind of power?”

“…”

“No way, right? That’s why it’s a lost cause. Plus…”

“Plus?”

“To fight magical beasts, that power is necessary. Without it, we can’t face them. To defeat them, you need that power to wield that weapon”

The old man’s voice dripped with self-mockery.

Ragna’s questions only grew.

The old man’s words were incomprehensible power, weapons, rituals. What did it all mean?

He voiced his confusion. The old man paused, deep in thought, then said, “Hmph, maybe this is a good chance. It’s been a while since I’ve told the whole story from the start.”

“What?”

“You’re lucky, kid. This isn’t the kind of story you hear every day. Only someone like me, who used to work as a low-level official, would know this stuff.”

“…”

With a cackle, the old man began unraveling the tale.

“It all started 500 years ago, with that lunatic Demon King who created the magical beasts. That’s when the Great War on Earth broke out, and countless people died. They say half of humanity was wiped out by the Demon King.”

“…”

Ragna frowned slightly. Half of humanity? Had he really killed that many?

“Well, history might exaggerate a bit. But the Demon King did conquer half the continent the eastern lands. Everyone living there was likely slaughtered, so it’s not entirely wrong.”

“…”

“Anyway, the Demon King’s existence pushed humanity to the brink. It was a do-or-die moment. But then…”

“Then?”

“…the Demon King suddenly vanished.”

“…?”

“No one knows why. There are all sorts of stories some say an assassin squad from some kingdom took him out, but no one’s sure if that’s true.”

“…”

Ragna’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand.

Why wasn’t there any mention of the Hero?

To Ragna, the Hero was his sworn enemy, someone he’d never forgive. But to humans, the Hero was a savior, a figure who should’ve been celebrated through the ages.

Yet, for some reason, the old man’s story made no mention of the Hero.

The explanation continued.

“People were shocked and overjoyed. The Demon King’s castle in the Dark Forest collapsed, and signs of his death were reported everywhere.”

“…”

“The knights on the front lines men, back then—saw it as their chance. They launched a full-scale assault to reclaim the demon-occupied lands. But the result…”

“The result?”

“…they found the demons had all vanished.”

“…!”

“It’s ridiculous, I know. According to records, it was just a week between the castle’s collapse and the assault. But in that time, the demons disappeared like ghosts.”

“…”

“And it wasn’t just them. The magical beasts they controlled were gone too.”

“…”

A flicker of hope sparked in Ragna’s chest.

They were alive!

His followers, the demons who’d come to the surface with him they were alive!

It had always weighed on him—the fate of his subordinates, the thought that they’d met a tragic end on this earth.

But now, hope blazed within him.

His demon followers might still be out there, somewhere on the continent or back in the demon realm.

It was up to him to find out.

Suppressing his excitement, Ragna focused on the old man’s words. He needed more information to plan his next move.

“So what happened next?” he asked.

“Having reclaimed the east, humans began an era of peace. The demons had destroyed many cities, but their fortresses and new settlements were decent enough. Humanity settled in the east with relative ease.”

“…”

“But that peace didn’t last long. Remember what I said earlier?”

“About what?”

“The magical beasts. The monsters the Demon King created.”

“Didn’t you say they disappeared with the demons?”

“That’s what everyone thought at first, based on the records. But they were wrong.”

“…”

“Ten years after peace began, something insane happened. Magical beasts started appearing all over the world suddenly, in droves, unlike anything before.”

“…!”

______

___

As the old man described the slaughter caused by the magical beasts, Ragna recalled his past.

Magical beasts.

They were the monsters he’d created as the Demon King.

According to the old man, ten years after his death, the beasts reappeared in massive numbers, attacking humans.

He even mentioned that some beasts raped humans and produced offspring.

But that made Ragna freeze in shock.

The magical beasts he’d created had been deliberately stripped of reproductive functions.

It was simple logic. He’d made them to bolster the demons’ numbers, which were far fewer than humans’. Despite the sizable demon force that came to the surface, they were still vastly outnumbered.

So Ragna created the beasts as soldiers perfect for the role.

They had superhuman strength, ferocity, and resilience. Crucially, their lack of reproductive ability ensured they wouldn’t cause trouble within the ranks. Their numbers could be rapidly increased and controlled through a device called the Orb of Domination.

One such orb had been in the Demon King’s castle. Another was somewhere on the front lines, though its exact location was unknown.

The old man had said the beasts vanished from the earth.

That likely meant they’d escaped the Orb’s influence and died. The Orb itself was probably gone.

Yet, somehow, the beasts had returned capable of reproduction, attacking humans, and even producing offspring.

What could explain this?

“…”

Questions swirled in Ragna’s mind, but they weren’t ones he could answer now.

He pushed them aside and urged the old man to continue. “So, how did humans fight the beasts?”

“Hmph, where was I… Right, let’s skip the part about how the women were slaughtered. Anyway, humans took a massive hit from the beasts popping up everywhere. It was the worst crisis since the Demon King.”

“…”

“Some thought the Demon King had returned. But that wasn’t the case. The beasts’ actions weren’t coordinated they were chaotic, even fighting each other over territory. Nothing like how they behaved under the Demon King.”

“…”

“All humans could do was resist. They fought the beasts as best they could. Ironically, the demons’ fortresses helped. The west was ravaged by the sudden beast outbreaks, but the east held up thanks to the demons’ old strongholds. Still, dealing with the beasts was no easy task. Smaller ones were manageable, but the bigger ones orks, minotaurs, trolls, great spiders, ogres… unimaginable creatures were a nightmare.”

“…”

“There were even beasts that didn’t resemble animals, taking on bizarre forms. The only way to fight them was with magic, but some were immune. And mages aren’t exactly common. Humans tried to resist, but they were helpless, waiting for extinction.”

“So… what happened?”

“Then, out of nowhere, a solution appeared like a rope thrown from the heavens. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? A *weapon* to fight the beasts. It was a godsend, but it came with a big problem.”

“The coming-of-age ritual… only women can use it?” Ragna ventured.

“Exactly. That’s the issue,” the old man said with a sneer.

“Now you get it, don’t you? Why the world’s like this, why men grovel before women. Without that *weapon*, we can’t fight the beasts. But allowing women to undergo the ritual gives them power to dominate men instantly. It’s a damned dilemma. In the end, men had no choice but to surrender to women.”

The old man’s voice dripped with bitterness. Ragna seized the chance to ask his final question.

“I still don’t understand. The weapon lets you fight the beasts… but what kind of weapon could upend the world like this?”

“Hm, it’s—”

Before the old man could finish, a loud *BOOM* shook the ground.

An earthquake?

Another *BOOM* followed.

“Hmph, perfect timing,” the old man said.

“…?”

“Seeing is better than hearing. Look out the window you’ll see the central plaza clearly. Check it out.”

“…”

Nodding, Ragna moved to the window and creaked it open.

Another *BOOM* reverberated, and he blinked against the sunlight.

Under the fading red sunset, the lumberyard came into view.

Sprawling shacks and workshops surrounded a large open area the central plaza, presumably.

Beyond it stood pristine white buildings, a stark contrast to the ramshackle structures near Ragna’s shack.

Then, another *BOOM* shook the ground.

Ragna’s eyes snapped back to the plaza, and a gasp escaped him.

There they were.

Near the edge of the plaza, humanoid figures clad in armor-like forms clashed, their swords ringing. Each movement sent tremors through the earth.

Why?

Simple they were enormous.

Three, maybe four times the size of a human. They moved with uncanny fluidity, swinging their blades in a fierce duel.

As Ragna watched, transfixed, the old man’s voice reached his ears.

“To fight monsters, you must become a monster.”

“…!”

“Some noble said that when they first saw a golem. Fitting, don’t you think?”

"Golems."

Was that the weapon’s name?

Ragna’s gaze returned to the plaza. The armored giants’ battle was ending. One thrust its sword near the other’s neck, slicing off an ornament.

The golems stopped, stepping back. They knelt, and with a clank, their chest plates opened.

Slender figures emerged women.

Ragna couldn’t make out their faces, but he understood: these were piloted weapons.

He nodded, realization dawning.

It made sense.

With those, even the mightiest beasts could be defeated.

As he nodded, the old man cackled behind him. “Heh heh heh.”

The kid still didn’t know the half of it.

The old man had deliberately withheld the full truth.

It was too soon for Ragna to know.

What would he think, how would he despair, when he learned it?

With a smirk, the old man muttered, “Well, he’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Two days later, Ragna would indeed learn the truth.

That this lumberyard was, in fact, a living hell.

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id